Lauren Reicher-Gordon

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A Brief History

Kidsave was founded in 1997 by Randi Thompson and Terry Baugh. Having worked many years applying marketing techniques to change behaviors on health and social issues, they re-focused their skills developing programs to help move children out or orphanages and into families. Their initial Family Visit Program included 177 children from orphanages in Russia and Kazakhstan to the US. They then began putting Russian orphans in Russian families, Kazakh children in Kazakh families and Colombian children in Colombian families. Kidsave now trains on this program in Russia and Colombia. Colombia’s Instituto Colombiano Bienestar Familial has incorporated family visits into their child welfare guidelines. The program also operates in Sierra Leone. All of these programs are placing children in their own countries.

Because of the armies of professionals working in the United States and the lack of engagement in Eastern Europe and Latin America Randi and Terry initially had no reason to focus on US kids in foster care. However, the success of family visits led them to believe that this model could help the older kids languishing in care in the United States. A similar program was identified, One by One, which was operated successfully under a US Department of Health and Human Services Grant by Bethany Christian Services in Michigan. Kidsave initially adapted our Summer Miracles methods for use in US foster care in collaboration with social workers from Fairfax County Virginia.

Then Washington, DC and Los Angeles County revised it for their uses. The Fairfax County program was operated for 10 years and evolved to mentoring program. The DC program became self-sufficient, operated now by Susan Punnett, CEO of the DC Family and Youth Initiative. Kidsave continues to operate the Family Visit Model in Los Angeles County under the name “Weekend Miracles”. Learn more about the results of the LA program here.

Kidsave events have given my youth opportunities to seek supports within the community. The Kidsave hosts who have connected with my teens have provided support to teens who feel they have very little.

—
Fawnda Sandoval, Child Social Worker III

Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services Adoption and Permanency Resource Division

Kidsave Weekend Miracles brings in a whole group of adults who weren’t ready to foster or adopt but want to make a difference in a child’s lives…
There are a slew of families interested in making a difference.

—
Sari Grant

Los Angeles County Recruitment Administrator

Eight years into hosting I can truly say Tawanesha is my family. The Kidsave experience has changed both of our lives for the better. Watching Tawanesha persevere through obstacles has been the most fulfilling experience ever.